Thanks, I have evolved from donkhood (low content)

[PinkSteel]

I started online in Oct last year. Read books, tried to learn, lost some dough.

First 10k hands, mostly $25NL, -1.7 PTBB/100. Hmmm, is this game even beatable?

Started reading the 2+2 forums in March.

Last 10k hands at $25NL, +7.51 PTBB/100. Not sparkling, and not a huge sample, but a damn site better than the first 10k hands.

My improvement has been almost ENTIRELY due to these forums (even indirectly; learned about PokerTracker here), and the extremely helpful, insightful, often hilarious and just nice posts from soah, fimbulwinter, TWP, Ghazban, Bobbo, xorbie, kongo, Zag and many, many more of you.

You guys rock; thanks.

-- John

[theblitz]

Well said!

I remember the total feeling of hopelesness when I started.
Now I look at those original hands in PT I realise what a great player I was to play AGAINST. The sort of player you love on your table.
No question that the posts here have changed my game.

I remember play the $10 NL on Paradise and thinking that those guys playing $50 NL must be amazingly smart or just plain rich.

Now I play at $50 I think the same of the guys at the higher levels. Who knows, maybe one day I can reach those heights too.

[JaBlue]

cool,but what makes you think you're not a donk anymore? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[PinkSteel]

Hey, I can spot a donk a mile away now, so I must not be one. I'm pretty sure I'm a muppet now; that or a monkey. I'm hoping muppet. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Kirkrrr]

Heheheh... I remember trying my hand at the $50 tables and getting beat to a bloody pulp. Now I multi-table $50 tables on Stars and sometimes absolutely cringe in frustration at how bad my opponents are playing. This forum has been one of the greatest finds of my (huge overstatement) "poker career."

Thanks to all of ya,
Kirk R.

[dtbog]

[ QUOTE ]
Last 10k hands at $25NL, +7.51 PTBB/100.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm curious -- this is a decent number of hands, do you think your play/winrate has stayed constant over this time, or improved from beginning to end?

Congrats on the success.. keep up the good work!

-dB

[SonOfWestwood]

No doubt. Instead of just nut peddling around now, I actually try to put some thought in to each play I make. This board's insightful posts are a huge part of my recent improvement as well.

I have long way to go still, and I'm sure this board will continue to be a big part of any improvements I make.

Thanks to everyone from me as well.

[PinkSteel]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm curious -- this is a decent number of hands, do you think your play/winrate has stayed constant over this time, or improved from beginning to end?

[/ QUOTE ]

It has definitely improved; I am light-years better just since March. When you start knowing so little, you can improve real quick.

But I know a little about statistics, and I've seen variance in this game, and I think trying to actually measure improvement inside 10k hands would be up there with reading sheep entrails.

When I was bonus whoring in May I had my ass handed to me on a large number of unbelievable suckouts. This last weekend I crushed nearly every table I sat down at, and it was almost all just good cards.